Near edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS) is being used to examine the electronic and geometric structure of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and adsorbed protein films. Both experimental data acquisition methods and spectral analysis procedures are being developed so that an order parameter can be determined for adsorbed protein film. This "order parameter" will provide information about the average orientation and degree of ordering for the peptide backbone. ESCA is also being employed to characterize the NEXAFS samples.